Outfitter Fined For Fishing On Wrong Lake

Outfitter Fined For Fishing On Wrong Lake

Tuesday, January 16, 2007 at 13:14

An outfitter based in Prince Albert has been fined for leading unauthorized fishing expeditions on a northern lake.

The owners of VJ’s Fishing Lodge pleaded guilty to illegally fishing on Black Bear Island Lake, and were fined $2,600.

Saskatchewan Environment spokesman Doug Lucyshyn says the outfitter has an allocation on neighbouring Campbell Lake, but conservation officers found evidence of its customers fishing on Black Bear Island Lake last summer.

Lucyshyn says the lodge has been operating since 1993, and it’s unclear how long the illegal activity had been taking place.

He also says the situation is made even more serious by the fact that Black Bear Island Lake is considered to be “over-allocated” at this point.

He says two other outfitters have allocations on that lake, other outfitters have permission to fish there on certain days, and the lake is frequently fished by commercial fishers, local residents and paddlers who are on canoeing expeditions on the Churchill River system.

Lucyshyn admits this type of offence isn’t caught as much as it should, mainly because northern Saskatchewan is so large and there aren’t nearly enough conservation officers to keep an eye on things.